On November 26 2010, an exhibition titled 'Dipanwita' displaying the crafts of a group of rural artisans, water colour paintings, and fashion fabrics, was inaugurated at The Gallery. The exhibition is designed and coordinated by Suraiya Chowdhury, Designer of Prokritee. Advocate Sultana Kamal initiated the proceedings by lighting a lamp.

Sultana Kamal highly appreciated the quality of the works exhibited and pointed out that more such initiatives are needed in the city.

Indeed, the artistic works of the rural people in Bangladesh are very inspiring. “All these products are made by poor women living in villages”, informed Suraiya Chowdhury, the designer of Prokritee. The organisation has helped many to become independent and earn a living.

The products displayed in the exhibition are interesting and unique in the sense that most are made out of re-usable materials. The exhibition sells some products made out of waste jute that the factories make no use of; whilst some are made using the packets of snacks and “chanachur” that we throw away. The exhibition reiterates that through careful usage we can indirectly help the environment.

Therefore, these products are in high demand on the international scene. Not only do they look good, but they reflect the recent trend and popularity of the theme --'going back to nature'. A fatua displayed in the exhibition has its fabric made out of pineapple leaves!

Such exhibitions indeed provide a moral and an economical boost to the artisans in rural areas. Such endeavours testify to the fact that their hard work and creativity uphold our cultural values and heritage. The exhibition provides an opportunity to witness some mesmerising works of art that come from these underdeveloped regions of the country.

You will also want to visit The Gallery to see the magnificent water-colour paintings drawn by Sayeeda Kamal. Meanwhile, the fashion fabrics are displayed by Milita Chowdhury and Swallow.

This exhibition is held in The Gallery: House # 7B, Road # 13, Gulshan- 1. It will remain open everyday from 10 am to 8 pm till December 20.

ByM H Haider

Feather on Bibi's cap

The goodwill ambassador of UNESCO, Bibi Russell recently attended a conference on millennium goals set by the UN in Cuenca, Spain. She also made an appearance at the film festival in Spain, where Antonio Banderas wore Bibi's signature gamcha while receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.

In between her extensive travel schedule Bibi also presented her designer line at Bangalore, India. She was among twelve renowned designers who showcased their collections during the two-day fashion extravaganza, BeYu Fashion Awards 2010.

For the first time in her career Bibi put together a collection in Black and White. All attires showcased along with the ethnic jewellery that has become her hallmark, created quite a spur among the audience.

The recipient of the prestigious BeYu International Lifetime Achievement Award at the BeYu, Bibi said she always felt a little jittery showcasing her collection because it is so simple... made with “magic threads”. The designer attributed her success to the countless artisans of Bangladesh with "magical fingers" whom she's been supporting for years.

Apart from Bibi, Sharbari Datta received the award in the Indian category,. Ramesh Dembla bagged the award for the Best Bridal Designs, while Anjali Sharma won the Emerging Designer Award.

O2 launches talk on bridal fashion

Keeping the coming bridal season in mind, fashion house O2 have embarked upon holding a series of talks where the audience can freely communicate with designers and find out everything there is to know about wedding couture.

These sessions will be held on Fridays, beginning end of November and continue through till mid-February. The orgnisers believe that this will help people open up to latest wedding ideas and help them choose their statements when it comes to their wedding!

Consider this: it's chilly in the morning and you decide to put on that blazer to work. But after a while, as the sun heats up and that very blazer seems redundant, you feel awkward taking it off. Happened to all of us, many a times!

To put an end to such miseries, boutique Rang has come up with Winter Collection 2010 with a wide ensemble of winter attires suitable just for men. Aptly designed on a selection of fabric, ethnic in origin and suitable for the ensuing winter, these dresses are a must have on any wardrobe. Be sure to check this collection exclusive at Rang outlets.

Winter with Kay Kraft

K K Winter Collection 2010 is now available at all their outlets. Keeping their loyal customers in mind they have kept their long-loved lines of shawls, jackets and scarves. Also available are ponchos made from khaadi fabrics. The choice of fabric has been done with winter in mind and will add to the comfort factor for the wearers.
The use of various designs carefully crafted on the attires, will help you make the fashion statement you desire. Prices are well within reach.

News Flash

The Grand Finale of “Monitor-Malaysian
Palm Oil Chef of the
Year- 2010” held

The grand finale and award giving ceremony of Monitor-Malaysian Palm Oil Chef of the Year 2010 was held at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel on 27 November. Hajera Alam Munni from Chittagong became the chef of the year, while Mahmuda Sharmin from Dhaka secured the runner-up position.

The journey for them started in June when recipes were invited separately from candidates of Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi and Khulna. After short-listing from about five thousand recipes and hosting regional finals, top ten participants from all the four regions came to compete in the Grand Final.

In the last battle, the top ten culinary talents occupied the space in front of the Ball Room of the hotel to prepare a creative and delicious food item out of the basket of ingredients and materials provided - within a tough time frame. The top ten finalists to make it to the final round were: Avirup Kumar Singho from Sylhet, Ajmeri Rawshan Mimi from Khulna, Subarna Islam from Dinajpur, Zebunnisa Begum and Hajera Alam Munni from Chittagong, Juneda Begum Nila from Barisal, Manjusha Mehera Lodi Mila from Bogra, and Farida Parvin Maya, Zohra Akhtar Rubi and Mahmuda Sharmin from Dhaka.

The participants faced an eight-member jury committee, which was led by the popular culinary expert and nutritionist Prof. Siddiqua Kabir. The other judges were Keka Ferdousi, Nazma Akhtar Chowdhury, Rawshan Ara Begum, Shahida Aktar, Nur Ayesha Chaklader and Tahera Wahid.

After the live cooking demonstration that was monitored by the panel of judges and then deciding upon the winner and the runner-up, the names were announced in the Gala Award Ceremony held in the evening.

Mahbubul Alam, the Editor of The Daily Independent and former Advisor to Caretaker Government, presented the awards. Also present in the ceremony were Kazi Wahidul Alam, the Editor of The Bangladesh Monitor and AKM Fakhrul Alam, Regional Manager in Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar of Malaysian Palm Oil Council.

The aim of the whole competition was to popularise Bangladeshi cuisine both at home as well as abroad and to discover the culinary talents of our nation.

The Bangladesh Monitor has been organizing the competition for the pat six years. Malaysian Palm Oil Council is the Title Sponsor, and has been for the fourth consecutive year. Bashundhara Group is the Award Partner; also, Walton and Pran acted as the award partner in the grand final.